


The Hero

by Aeriedescent



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Detective Kory, F/M, Love Triangle, Mystery, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-17 16:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14193348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeriedescent/pseuds/Aeriedescent
Summary: All Kory wants to do this year is focus on her amazing new job at Wayne Enterprises while living in Gotham City with her best friend, Rachel. But that is proving to be increasingly difficult as she finds herself entangled between the mysterious Richard Grayson and the elusive vigilante, Nightwing.





	1. Prologue

"We're finally here!"

The tall redhead flung herself out of the small car before her dark haired companion could even turn off the engine. Kory stared up at the modest red brick building, her gaze following the zig-zag of the rusty stairs up the structure and beyond it into the drizzly Gotham afternoon sky. Rachel emerged from the car, knees cracking from being seated for so long, and pulled up the hood on her zip up to avoid the worsening weather. Kory seemed not to take notice of the rain, too enchanted with their new home. Rachel walked up next to Kory, not nearly as enthralled about their new domain. She had been driving for two hours, her sneakers were getting wet and all she wanted was a hot cup of chamomile tea and a nap.

"We should proba–" Cut off abruptly, Kory scooped Rachel into a bone crushing hug, unaware of her friends muted protests. She rubbed her cheek affectionately against her friends paling one.

"Oh Rachel, I'm so excited! After all these years we finally have our own apartment! This will be the best year ever, we can have adventures, meet boys, work at amazing jobs, eat at fancy restaurants–"

"Kory! Y-you're suffocating me!" Rachel managed to spit out, feeling like a small mouse in the anaconda grip that was Kory's hug. She had become somewhat accustomed to her taller friends affectionately aggressive tendencies over the years, but she had the feeling that sometimes Kory wasn't even aware of her own strength.

After realizing she was squeezing the life out of her petite companion, Kory gently let her down, apologies falling out of her mouth faster than Rachel could process them.

Bent over and catching her breath, Rachel looked up at her naive friend, "It's alright Kor, but let's get inside before it starts hailing."

As if on cue, Kory looked up at the sky, noticing the precipitation for the first time and shuddered. She quickly pulled up her hood and ducked back toward Rachels car, grabbing her purse from the passenger seat and swiftly swinging it over her shoulders. Rachel had found an umbrella in the backseat and the two quickly shielded themselves from the rain and ran inside.

"I think we'll have to get our boxes from the car later today when it stops raining." Rachel muttered once the two were on the elevator, looking down at her phone to check her weather app, showing unpleasant results.

"I hope it's not rainy all week, this humidity does nothing for my hair." It had already begun to re-curl from the rain, undoing the hours of straightening Kory had spent the night before. She pouted as she took a curly strand between her fingers. Rachel rolled her eyes. Petty problems.

"Well, we picked an awful week to move in then." Rachel muttered, showing the forecast on the small screen to her taller friend. Kory sighed in exasperation and attempted to assuage her frizzing hair. She was going to have to buy more product if she wanted to survive the week without looking like a crazy red lion. It was not a good look.

The elevator dinged loudly, signifying their arrival on the third floor. The two young women exited the elevator and walked down to their apartment at the end of the hallway.

"God damnit," Rachel muttered as she dug around in her black leather purse, "I forgot the keys in the car." She dug her thumb and forefinger into her forehead, attempting to combat the oncoming headache. Sensing her distress, Kory grabbed the car keys from her grip.

"Don't worry! I'll go out and get them."

Pulling up her hood once again as she exited the elevator, Kory mentally prepared herself to dash back out into the now pouring rain. Why had she volunteered to grab the keys again?

As she pushed out of the glass door, a large bolt of lightning struck off in the distance. Out of habit she started to count down the seconds until the crack of thunder occurred. _1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi, 4 Mississippi..._ It was a technique her father had taught her so assuage her childhood fear of thunder. _"However long it takes for the lightning to strike, the farther it is away from you,"_ He had told her, giving her five year old self a sense of security. But now as a full grown woman, she wasn't scared of some petty storm anymore. Well okay, maybe they still put her a little on edge.

Shaking out of her reverie, Kory strode to the small automobile, unlocked it and opened the drivers door to bend over the seat and search for the keys.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Kory saw two black silhouettes moving gracefully against the skyline. Nearly giving herself whiplash with a double take, she stared off into the darkening horizon, searching through the rain for the figures that had disappeared mere seconds ago. A large bolt of lightning struck where they once were, and Kory yelped, caught of guard by the sudden blinding light. She exhaled deeply, denying it as merely figments of her jumpy imagination, and returned to her search. Finding the keys in the middle compartment, she gripped them tightly and darted back into the building, locking the car behind her back.

She had heard rumors of Gotham and its mysterious vigilantes who roamed the night, hunting down the powerful and evil that threatened the city. They were rumors of course, no one that she knew of had actually ever seen such persons. They were merely urban legends that made the citizens of Gotham feel more secure in their crime ridden city. Spending so much time with Rachel had turned her into a skeptic, but she momentarily let the thought drift through her mind that maybe there were individuals who fought for justice and were always watching over. Watching over Kory and her new city.

 

* * *

 

The only other time Kory had ever been this terrified had been... well now that she thought of it, this was the most terrifying experience of her life. Today was her first day on the job at Wayne Enterprises. She had been more than surprised when they called a week after her interview, telling her that she had gotten the job in the International Relations department and started promptly at the end of August. After receiving the good news, she and Rachel had celebrated by buying sugary pastries from the small bakery down two blocks and getting drunk off of boxed wine and dancing around their new  apartment. Well, Kory did most of the dancing.

But her current flood of emotions was of a completely different species than that of that night. Sure she had held many other jobs before, but this was _Wayne Enterprises_. The most affluent business in New York, maybe in the entire country. And if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere your heart desired.

She took a deep breath, and gazed up at the giant steel skyscraper in front of her. The glass facade glimmered back at her. After another calming breath and she pushed through the rotating doors.

The lobby was a lavish open space, consisting of black leather couches and marble coffee tables with real orchids blooming out of vases, where people in expensive business attire sat on their phones or made small talk with their colleagues. Past two large security desks was a large marbled staircase with detailed black wood banisters, leading up to a small foyer with stainless steel elevators.

Even though it was the second time she had been through the lobby, it still managed to leave Kory in awe. Realizing it was probably didn't leave the best impression to just gawk, she continued to walk towards the security desk.

"Hello ma'am, how can I assist ya?" An attractive man looked up from his papers at the sight of her appearance, his smile almost blindingly white against his deep complexion. A wave of relief washed over her at his friendliness.

"Hi, I’m Kory Anders and was told I would receive my... scanner-thingy here?"

"Your badge?" He laughed at her odd choice in words. Her face flushed involuntary. How was she supposed to do well on her first day when she couldn't even speak properly? After a moment of digging through a drawer, he pulled out a small white ID card with her name and department printed on it, and set it on the counter for her to grab. "Don't worry about it, scanner-thingy sounds _way_ cooler than badge."

Kory grabbed the card swiftly, her blush growing deeper.

"Just scan it to get on the elevator, and you’ll be able to get to your floor.”

"Thank you for your help, uh..." Her eyes momentarily flicked downward to his name badge "Victor."

"No problem Miss Anders." He flashed her another award winning smile as she turned away, her heels clicking on the stone ground. Victor watched her slender form glide up the staircase until his thoughts were interrupted by the guard across from him snickering. Making sure no one was looking, he flashed his companion an obscene gesture, muttering, "As if you weren't looking either."

Oblivious the the male bickering below her, Kory pressed the call button for the elevator. As the doors slid open, a man who she hadn't noticed standing next to her before, held the doors so she could walk in first before sliding in after her. She uttered a thanks, and shot a friendly smile in his direction. Once both inside the elevator she, discreetly as possible, turned her attention to the man occupying the small space with her. He was a young, somewhere around Kory's age, with dark tousled hair and electric blue eyes that were focused on the screen of his phone. With a quick sweep over his lean figure, she realized how clean cut he looked. Dressed in expensive looking slacks and a white dress shirt with the first two buttons undone, leaving a subtle patch of olive toned skin visible. Kory shyly tucked her long hair behind her ears and promptly tore her gaze away from him and pretended to not be thinking about how attractive he was. It wasn't working very well.

"Your blouse is untucked in the back," He observed after taking his eyes off of his screen to look her over. He pointed the the silky fabric sticking out of her tan pencil skirt. She let out gasp of surprise and twisted around to see the delinquent piece untucked at the middle of her back. Promptly tucking it in, she then adjusted the belt around her waist to make sure it would stay in place. Kory seemed very set on embarrassing herself today.

"You might as well tell me if anything else is out of place so I don't mess up completely on my first day." Kory joked, wiping nonexistent dirt off her skirt. He looked her over once more, pausing for a fraction of a second at the length of her legs, before meeting her jade eyes. She felt like his eyes were piercing hers and reading her soul itself. Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but _good God_ , he was handsome.

"You look perfect to me." A small smile darted across his features and he opened his mouth as if to say something else, but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator, "Good luck on your first day."

And before she could even say thanks, all she could see were his broad shoulder turning round the corner as a pair of old men walked in and took his place. She took a deep breath to calm her accelerating heartbeat. There was no need to get all glossy eyes over some random guy on her first day. This was her dream. To finally prove herself to the world. And nothing, including a _very_ attractive man, was going to distract her from achieving it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was originally published on FF.net under the same username. I finally got an account on here (yay!) and am in the process of moving everything over. The next three chapters will be posted shortly.
> 
> This story is set in a completely modern setting, so no powers. I've made the executive decision Gotham City is located somewhere in New York cuz really, that's the best setting for a vigilante/mystery/romance fic, right?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this first installment! Comments/constructive criticism/suggestions/kudos fuel my life force.
> 
> -M


	2. Greeting the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You guys know each other?" Victor asked from the sidelines, Kory had completely forgotten he was there. She had forgotten that there was at least a hundred people in the same building. All she could think of was this man, Richard, that had been hanging around in her mind ever since they day on the elevator when he said she was the most perfect thing he'd ever seen.

There was a loud  _thud_  heard from the next room. Jolting and nearly smudging her lipstick across her cheek, Kory quickly turned from her spot in front of the bathroom mirror to peek outside and locate where the disturbance had come from.

"You alright, Rach?" She called out. Rachel stumbled out of her room and into their shared ensuite, her knees wobbling like a newborn deer in tall slinky heels. A thin black strap was the only thing keeping her ankles in place. She looked livid, rubbing her bottom in pain.

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing these, I'll fall on my ass every two seconds!" She attempted to place her hands on her hips, but lost her balance once again. Placing her hand against the adjacent wall for balance, she turned and glared at Kory, challenging her to convince her otherwise. Kory laughed at her friend's comic predicament.

"Oh, but I picked them up just for you! They look so cute! Plus, now we're almost the same height for taking pictures," she pleaded, standing next to her as if to prove her point. It was a stretch, Kory still towered above her friend, maybe only slightly less now that the latter was wearing heels. Rachel remained stoic, so Kory moved on to her next persuasive tactic: pouting

"No," Rachel threatened, her dark eyes forming slits. "Don't even try the puppy eyes on me! I am wearing my combat boots and there's nothing you can do about it."

Kory, unaffected by the holes being burned into by her now only slightly shorter companion, continued to tremble her lower lip to no avail. On to the next tactic: compromise!

"Fine, then at least let me do your makeup!" Without even waiting for a response, Kory grabbed her petite friend by the elbows and steered her to their small bathroom. Sighing and stumbling to sit on the bathtub ledge, Rachel pulled off the slinky death traps and tossed them into the hallway, feeling only semi victorious. It was better to let Kory play dress up with her then having to deal with the pout again. Her resolve was usually shot the second time the pout came around.

"So who's this guy again?" Rachel asked as Kory began digging through her large makeup bag. Pausing only to check the time on her phone, Kory turned to respond, a tube of mascara in her grip.

"Victor, he's that cute guy that works the security desk. His friend is DJ-ing at this nightclub, so he invited us to come and see! Ya know, since we're new in town. Now look down." Rachel followed the command, flicking her lids down to give Kory a better angle to coat her eyelashes. "And, he said he's bringing some of his friends, so I bet they're cute too!"

If the mascara wand wasn't so close as to stab Rachel in the eye, she would have rolled them. Ever since a particularly rough breakup during their junior year of college, Kory had been on the hunt to find Rachel a "hot new man". Her word choice, not Rachel's.

The two remained quiet as Kory turned her attention to filling in Rachel's lips, painting them a dark wine red. Content with her work, Kory stood up straight and stretched, feeling the stiffness remaining from her back disappear with each crack of her joints. Working a desk job was not doing her spine any favors.

Turning her attention back to Rachel, Kory carefully examined her handy work. She was dressed in a simple long sleeved cotton dress that hugged her petite frame. It was black of course, Rachel outright refused any article of clothing that wasn't. A chained gold necklace fell along her collar bones, with multiple matching small gold hoops along her various ear piercings. Her short black hair was pulled up into a small topknot, her fringe brushed carefully against her porcelain skin. Rachel suddenly felt meek under her friend's scrutiny.

She paled, literally, against Kory's tan and freckled skin. Her dark attire contrasted as obviously as their personalities with Kory's bright ensemble. Dressed in a form fitting lilac dress, and dangly earrings that sparkled in the fluorescent lighting. Kory's naturally curly hair was let loose, leaving a trail of fire down her exposed back. It didn't do much to boost Rachels confidence.

"Do I… look okay?" Rachel asked, feeling timid. Kory's look softened at her friend. It was ever so rare that Rachel ever showed self-doubt. She always seemed so calm and self-assured, never letting anyone or anything affect her. Kory was always envious of that trait. Her easily blushing face was always betraying her in some way or another.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Rachel." Kory smiled down at her, lending her hands for Rachel to stand up, then promptly pulling her into a warm hug. "All the hipster-goth boys will be drooling over you!"

After a bout of laughter and Rachel feigning annoyance at the affection, Kory reached down to check her phone, noticing a new text message. Rachel, on her toes, set her chin on Kory's freckled shoulder to read the text.

"Is it Victor?" Rachel asked. Kory craned her neck to smile at her friend.

"Yep! Says to meet him there at ten!"

* * *

The club was loud. Not that Kory had expected anything different. Nonetheless, it still took a minute for her ears and eyes to adjust to the thumping bass and colorful flashing lights. After the initial sensory overload, Kory felt the rush of adrenaline that the atmosphere nightclubs provided. Everyone was dancing, and happy, and mingling with new people. It was exactly the environment Kory flourished in. Rachel on the other hand felt extremely overwhelmed. And although her cool and aloof façade would never let anyone know, the crowds and music made her feel extremely anxious.

Kory held a tight grip on Rachel's hand as they navigated through the crowd, searching the tables on the outskirts of the dance floor. Phone in hand, Kory craned her neck looking for Victors large frame. To the right of the DJ system she caught sight of him sitting with two other friends, a handsome blonde facing their direction, and a dark haired man partially hidden in the shadow. Kory began to push once again through the crowd towards them, and seeing her approaching through the masses, Victor waved, beckoning them over.

But suddenly Rachel tugged forcefully on Kory's hand, jerking her into a stop.

"Rach?" Kory spun around to face her, shouting over the loud music. Rachel looked panicked, well as panicked as Rachel could ever look, head tilted and fiddling with one of her cartilage piercings.

"We can't go over there. I know one of them, he's in my graduate program." Rachel shouted back, inconspicuously nodding her head towards the blonde. Catching sight of them, he waved enthusiastically. "He asks me out at least five times a week."

"And you haven't said yes? He's super hot! You could at least give him a shot, he can't be  _that_ bad." After examining him, Kory turned back towards Rachel once more, trying to comprehend her hesitation. Still unmoving, Kory rolled her eyes. "Well, if you don't go and dance with him, I will!"

Rachel's eyes narrowed at Kory, as if deciding whether dancing with him or letting her redheaded bombshell of a friend would be worse. Most likely the latter. Sighing in defeat, she offered her hand once more for Kory to lead her through the crowds.

"You made it!" Victors voice boomed over the music once they made their way over to the table. Kory was unsure how they could've snagged such a nice view, considering how packed the club was. It was probably their connection to the DJ.

Said DJ was up on a podium that overlooked the entire club, like a Queen commanding over her dance floor. Large screens towered behind her, flashing abstract designs that ebbed and flowed with the music. Giant headphones held back her dark buoyant curls and neon lights spun around her, saturating her mesmerizing movements in vibrant colors.

"Your friend sounds amazing!" Kory leaned over to give Victor a friendly hug, missing his wince at the mention of the vixen of a DJ. "This is my roommate, Rachel."

Pulling away from Kory, Vic extended a hand to Rachel. "Pleasure, Rachel. Ladies, this is Gar and Dick."

Gar smiled brightly and extended a hand to Kory in greeting, his eyes were bright and green, and very eager to talk to Rachel. Which he did, promptly turning and asking if she wanted a drink, fidgeting nervously in his dark gray button up. Taking Kory's eager nodding as a yes, Gar extended his arm for Rachel to take. She ignored it. She did, however, make her way over to the bar with the blonde hot on her heels, but not before shooting a withering glare over her shoulder. Kory watched in glee as the two made their way over to the bar.

Smiling like a proud mother, Kory turned back to the remaining friend, holding out her hand. She stopped dead in her tracks when his face finally emerged out of the shadows. The icy blue eyes that met hers were the same ones that pierced hers in the elevator on her first day at Wayne Enterprises. He was watching her with a small smile, probably having already recognized her as she was ogling over her matchmaking.

"Kory. Nice to finally know your name." A small laugh tumbled out his lips. Kory was still gaping at him, finding it hard to turn her dumbstruck expression into something more dignified. She was one hundred percent positive her face matched the shade of her hair. "My name's actually Richard, but most of my friends call me Dick."

"You guys know each other?" Victor asked from the sidelines, Kory had completely forgotten he was there. She had forgotten that there was at least a hundred people in the same building. All she could think of was this man, Richard, that had been hanging around in her mind ever since they day on the elevator when he said she was the most perfect thing he'd ever seen. Okay, maybe she was guilty of exaggerating. But she had been so nervous that day, her memory might have been prone to hopeful alterations. It had been a couple weeks since said incidence, and she hadn't seen a trace of this mysterious Richard since. Anyone she  _oh-so-casually_  asked around the office seemed to have no idea who the mystery man was.

"Yeah, he saved me from a fashion disaster on my first day at work." Kory laughed, breaking her reverie, jade shyly meeting sapphire once again. Realizing he was no longer part of the conversation, Victor chuckled and muttered something about going to talk to a Karen on her break. Barely noticing him leave, Richard motioned for Kory to sit on the plush cushions around the table.

"So, how do you know Victor?" Kory asked, having to lean close to Richards ear to be heard over the music. The subtle smell of his cologne was delicious, and she could feel her face growing red once again with excited nerves. She needed a drink. Stat.

As if on cue, Dick waved over a waitress who eagerly made her way over. Kory was mildly surprised, she had never seen a club waitress come so fast at someone's beckon. They ordered and the waitress skittered off as fast as she had come.

"We roomed together our freshman year in college. Gar lived next door and, well, the rest is history." Richard responded. His face visibly brightened at the mention of his friends, his smile infectious.

"That's how Rachel and I met. Except she hated me first semester." Kory's laughed tinkled through the air despite the thumping bass. She let her gaze wander over to said dark haired friend, who was taking a shot with Gar at the bar.  _Wonder how he managed that one._ "She would hole up in the library for weeks just to avoid me. It's funny now because we're best friends and somehow still roommates."

The waitress appeared again out of the crowd, producing two tall drinks on a tray and setting them down gingerly on the table. Richard nodded in thanks and slid a generous tip in the waitresses direction. Kori took a long swig of the strong beverage, pretending not to see the large amount of money being exchanged, letting the liquid burn down her throat and warm her belly. Was he trying to impress her with his money, or was he really just that generous of a tipper? She hoped a little bit of both.

"Ah, so that must be  _the_  Rachel that Gar has been talking about since his semester started. I think he's infatuated with her, but she never gave him the time of day," After taking a small sip, he set his drink back down on the table to look at the couple at the bar. Rachel was laughing at something Gar had said, her hand moving, surprisingly, to his knee. "Well, until now I guess."

"You can thank me for that," Kory pretended to bow, placing her hand on her chest and dipping her head, her red hair spilling across her shoulders. "I had to threaten her with a good time."

Dick laughed, his broad shoulder shaking gently under his clean cut black button up. Kory decided she enjoyed the sound of his laugh. And his voice. It was slightly calculating, but still smooth. Easy to talk too. Kory topped off another drink, or two, as they slipped into an easy conversation about her recent move into Gotham City. Talking to him felt natural, organic, certified GMO free. It didn't feel like the forced small talk she would normally indulge other men with. Richard was witty, and surprisingly insightful. He seemed to coax laughter out of her like there was nothing to it.

She didn't want the end to night.  _Shit_. Night to end. Okay, she was definitely drunk now.

"You wanna dance?" She asked after another round of drinks had been consumed, well mostly by her, coyly winding a red lock around her finger. He watched the action with dark eyes, lips parting in a way that Kory found insanely sexy. But before he could respond, the vibration of his phone interrupted. Upon seeing the caller, who Kory could barely make out as  _Bruce_ , he exhaled in visible annoyance. Just her luck. She immediately did not like this 'Bruce' for interrupting.

"I'm terribly sorry, something important must have come up. I have to go." He said, holding the phone to his chest as he shot to his feet. In attempt to assuage her crestfallen expression from his oncoming departure, he picked up her hand and pressed his mouth to it in a lingering kiss. "I hope to see you again, Kory."

"Yeah –" Was all she was able to respond as he made his way through the crowd. She wasn't even sure if he heard her. Goddamnit.

Kory drank the rest of Richard's drink in frustration, banking on the fact that if she got drunk enough she wouldn't feel like pouting anymore. Alcohol always helped you forget that a beautiful man that was about to dance with you had just ditched you for a 'Bruce' on the phone, right? She hoped so. Because if Bruce turned out to be Richard's lover, Kory would need  _way_  more than three (four, five?) drinks.

* * *

The world was spinning. Kory couldn't tell if the swirling lights outside were pretty or nauseating. The four of them, Kory, Victor, Rachel and Gar were pressed like sardines in the back of a taxi cab. Even with Rachel sitting on Gar's lap, Vic's large frame was taking up a majority of the room. The giant himself had his arm affectionately around Kory, and was regaling her with tonight's fight with his on and off again girlfriend, and the DJ, Karen. It was really quite difficult to pay attention though, because his shoulder was extremely comfortable and all Kory wanted to do was fall asleep.

"I dunno man, sometimes we're just like... like, so in sync, and then the next minute she's yelling at me for no goddamn reason! She says we're not in an official relationship, but then gets mad if I even look at another girl. I just don't get it." Kory looked up at the exasperated man, reaching over to pat his hand that was on her opposite shoulder in an attempt to console him.

"I'm sorry Vic, you guys will work it out. You just gotta like... talk and stuff." nodding in agreement at her own response, Kory found that was as helpful she could sound in her current inebriated state.

"Ya dude, you guys always figure your shit out!" Added Gar, momentarily breaking away from his hush whispered conversation with Rachel, whose lips looked suspiciously swollen.

Victor sighed heavily and leaned his head back on the seats head rest, seemingly not comforted by his friends unhelpful words of advice.

Kory's spinning world came to a lurching halt and the cab stopped abruptly outside her and Rachel's apartment. She reached into her purse, grabbing the correct amount of money for the cab driver, then proceeded to usher Gar and Rachel out. Kory stood back for a minute to wave goodbye to Vic as the cab drove off to his place as the drunken couple managed to get themselves inside, giggling the whole way.

She really did feel bad for Vic. It must be hard to be in a relationship like that. Kory knew from first hand experience what it was like to be tugged around and still not be sure if you're in a relationship to begin with. But that's a story for another, more sober, time.

In her stupor, she had accidentally dropped the keys to get inside the building. Her head did not agree with her as she bent over to pick them up, it was such a long way down, why did she wear heels again? Suddenly another pair of shoes stood in front of her and she quickly stood up to find herself looking down the barrel of a small revolver.

Startled, Kory squeaked and took a wobbly step back. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, providing temporary clarity through her haze.

"Please don't hurt me, I don't have any money-"

"Hand over your purse, now!" He yelled, haphazardly waving the gun at her. The man looked equally as frazzled as she felt, whether that was substance induced or he was a first timer, Kory didn't care to find out. Thinking as fast as her un-sober brain would allow, Kory threw her purse behind him, knowing the motion would distract him. As he turned to retrieve it she flew into action.

Grabbing his shoulders she kneed him hard to the groin, the pain making him drop the gun. He doubled over on reflex and she used her momentum to swing her elbow backwards into his skull, knocking him to the ground. Quickly scrambling for the gun, she pointed it at his crumpled form to make sure he didn't attack again. Seeing him curled up and twitching, but otherwise unmoving, Kory sighed in relief.

As the world started started spinning once more, Kory took a moment to say a silent prayer, thanking her mother for dragging her to self defense classes for the majority of her life. She would need to call in the morning and apologize for being such a brat about going.

Gingerly holding the gun to her chest, she hobbled over to her purse to grab her phone so she could call the police. But someone was already there holding it out for her.

"Aaaaah!" Kory screamed in shock, because the figure had literally appeared out of thin air. She was way too drunk for anymore surprises tonight. All she wanted to do was go to bed and not wake up with a hangover tomorrow.  _Was that too much to ask for?_

"Whoa, easy there cutie. You can put the gun down. I won't hurt you." Kory didn't even realize she had aimed the gun at the man who was clad in - wait,  _what the hell was he wearing?_ A dark black spandex suit with intricate blue designs running across his well chiseled body.  _Hot damn_. His dark hair was tousled around his face, which was conveniently hidden by a dark mask. "I was gonna jump in and help you there, but it seems you had it under control. I have to say, I'm quite impressed."

"I'm way too drunk for this shit." She mumbled, echoing her earlier thoughts, lowering the gun to her side and rubbing her tired eyes with the other hand. The masked man had a short bout of laughter as he returned her bag. It echoed off the brick buildings, reverberating through her spinning head and the down the street.

"Drunk too? Wow, I am doubly impressed." She could feel the man was eyeing her through her mask like she was some magical phenomena that fell out of the sky. Kory wasn't sure how she felt about it, seeing as he was the weirdo parading around at night in a costume and mask.

"That's not much coming from a guy wearing a fucking superhero costume," Kory snapped. He laughed again and then began walking towards the crumpled man behind her.

"Here, I can take that," he said, reaching for the gun with the unconscious mugger now thrown over his shoulder. Kory reluctantly handed it over, but felt slightly relieved now that the cold metal weapon was out of her grasp. He then added, seeing her attempting to respond to her clumsy tapping, "Don't bother calling the police, cutie. I got it covered."

"What do you mean? Who are you anyway?" She began, because honestly  _who the fuck was this guy?_  But she was answered with silence; she looked up from her screen and he was gone. Disappeared. Gonzo. Poof.

After staring dumbly into the place where he once stood for what felt like forever, Kory realized it was probably best to get back into her apartment before any other freaks of the night decided to come out and play.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, who was that mysterious masked man? What was he doing hanging conveniently around Kory's apartment? Why am I asking questions I already know the answers to?
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Thank you for the comment and kudos on the last one, they mean so much :')
> 
> Next two chapters will hopefully go up in the next two days!
> 
> -M


	3. Good News or Bad News First?

Groggy and still half asleep, Kory rolled over to silence her obnoxiously vibrating phone.  _Who in God's name was texting her this early?_ On a Saturday, no less? She attempted to close her eyes and drift back into sleep, but a drowsy curiosity got the best of her.

Giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the blinding screen, she clicked on the message app, seeing the new text was from an unknown number.

> **NEW MESSAGE 7:48 AM**
> 
> _Hi Kory, This is Richard. Vic gave me your number. Sorry about the other weekend, I've been meaning to get in touch since then. I'd love to make it up to you, are you free tonight?_

She had to read the words on her screen three times before her mind was able to formulate them into intelligible sentences. As the meaning dawned on her, any residue of sleep immediately soared out the window. An unfiltered squeal escaped her, and she dropped her phone as she flew out of bed in excitement. While performing a small victory dance around her room, which included multiple air punches, Kory felt the most excited she'd been in weeks.

Turning back to her phone, jazz hands and all, Kory realized that she needed to respond. The pure elation from just a moment ago came crashing all around her in a panicked dread. Her jazz hands didn't last long after that.

_What was she going to say?!_ She wanted to say yes,  _obviously,_ but she needed to sound cool. Not over eager. But still interested. Not desperate. But not too aloof either.

Richards message stared up at her, beckoning for her to reply. She stared back, a small frown wrinkling her freckled features.

"Screw it." She mumbled, before grabbing the phone and typing out her response.

> **CREATE NEW MESSAGE**
> 
> _What did you have in mind?_

She hit send with a reckless abandon before she could second guess herself any further. Throwing her phone once again on the the bed, Kory began pacing nervous circuits around her room. Nervous energy spread through her limbs like lightning. Oh god,  _was that stupid to say?_   Self consciousness pulsed angrily alongside her racing heartbeat.

A muted vibration stopped Kory in her tracks. 

> **NEW MESSAGE 8:02 AM**
> 
> _A surprise. Send me your address and I'll pick you up at 8?_

Another gleeful squeal emanated her and she fell backwards, spread eagle, onto her bed. Her smile knew no bounds as it spread across her face. She was thrilled, ecstatic, joyous; a pot of emotions boiling over.

After their last interaction at the club, Kory had resigned herself to getting over him. Sure he was charming, probably loaded ( _not that it mattered, of course_ ), and she was super attracted to him... like, insanely attracted to him and his strong jawline, his broad shoulders and his toned butt –  _wait,_ where was she going with this? Oh yeah. Sure, there was some undeniable physical chemistry going on between them. But going gaga over some guy she'd only met twice wasn't realistic, or healthy. Even if he had the cutest butt she'd ever seen.

At least, that's what she's been telling herself during the past two weeks of radio silence from the mysterious Richard. But now, here he was, planning a surprise make up date for her. Who was she to deny fates knock at her door?

Rolling onto her stomach, she sent a quick reply with her address. And a smiley face for good measure.

Her emotional rollercoaster had begun to plateau, but the remaining adrenaline was starting to make her twitchy. Kory was going to have to find some way to fend off the impending nerves for the next 12 hours until the actual date. Well,  _actually_ , 11 hours and 46 minutes to be precise. Sitting up, she scanned her room in search of something to distract her racing mind.  _Aha!_ In the far corner of her now sunlit room was her answer: a pair of beat up running shoes.

Autumn had begun to wriggle its way out of summers humid grasp, so she pulled on a pair of leggings and a thin hoodie over her t-shirt. Grabbing her shoes, Kory made her way out into the living room of her shared apartment.

Her roommate/best friend was surprisingly not awake. Rachel had been an early riser as long as Kory had known her, often waking up at the crack of dawn to practice her meditation and yoga. But the living room was vacant. Even the kitchen, which opened to the living room over an island table showed no sign of her petite friend – not even a kettle going for her tea. Strange.

On the verge of barging into Rachel's room to see what was up, Kory was stopped in her tracks at the sight of a pair of large olive green sneakers and black combat boots kicked in a haphazard trail leading to the bedroom door. Ah,  _that's_ why she wasn't up yet. It seemed Rachel had a (not so) mysterious visitor during the night.

Chuckling to herself, Kory plugged in her earbuds and headed for the door; ready to squash her pre-date nerves between her soles and the concrete.

* * *

"Well good morning, sunshines!" covered in drying sweat, but feeling immensely better after her run, Kory greeted Rachel and Garfield in the kitchen as she returned to the apartment.

Rachel, sitting on a stool with a cup of tea in hand, turned to greet her. She was clad in, Kory noted, only a t-shirt that was much too large and promoting a band she definitely didn't listen to. Gar was busy in front of the stove but threw her a toothy grin over his shoulder. It smelled delightfully of pancakes.

"You were up early today," commented Rachel, sorting through the pile of mail that Kory had brought up. Seeing nothing of importance, she grabbed the newspaper.

" _Yeah_ ," the reply was way slyer than Kory intended, but it seemed that even exercise wasn't able to drain all of the excitement from her. Her tone did not go unnoticed by Rachel, who dropped the newspaper to turn and look at her redheaded roommate.

" _Yeah?"_ she echoed, an inquisitorial eyebrow rising beneath her dark bangs. "What's got you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed?"

Kory didn't even bother filtering the excitement bursting out of her, wiggling in the seat next to Rachel. "This bushy tails got a date tonight!"

"With whom?" asked Rachel immediately, but Gar beat Kory to the punch as he turned and presented an absurdly large pile of pancakes with a flourish.

"Did Dick finally text you?" asked the blonde playfully. His expression faltered as he was met with the  _whip_ of two heads and two pairs of eyes turning towards him in shock.

" _How did you know?!_ " Kory and Rachel said in unison. Gar stepped back from the force of their question, hands up in mock surrender.

"Whoa, that was freaky," he said, laughing nervously, not dropping his hands. Rachel nearly growled at him as a not-so-subtle suggestion for him to answer already. "Okay, okay, geez! I was there when he asked Vic about you, Kory. I'm surprised it took him this long, but you know Dick..."

Once again he watched dumbfounded as the two women moved in tandem; shaking their heads vigorously at him as if to say " _No! Obviously not!"_

"Ok, seriously, how do you guys  _do that?_ " Gar squeaked.

"We don't know him. Kory's only met him, what, twice now?" said Rachel, ignoring her sputtering boyfriend ( _Lover? Boy-toy? Friend with benefits?_  Kory wasn't sure, nor all too concerned with what to call him at the moment), and turned to Kory who nodded in confirmation. "He's awfully elusive, you know."

"Oh, I guess you're right." said Garfield, scratching the back of his neck, chuckling in embarrassment. "Well, his dad is prepping him to eventually take over Wayne Enterprises, so he's always working and traveling. Sometimes I don't even see him for weeks!"

"Whoa, hold up," Kory finally spoke, not fully processing what Gar had just revealed. Even Rachel looked surprised. "Richard is  _Bruce Wayne's_  son _?_ As in Bruce Wayne, the boss of my boss?!"

The pancakes lay entirely forgotten on the table as Garfield leaned over them to stare incredulously at the pair facing him. His eyes shifted in disbelief back and forth between them.

"Well, technically he's adopted. He kept his family name, Grayson – but I can't believe it, he seriously didn't tell you? That's usually his go-to pick up line, ' _Hey, I'm a filthy rich millionaire. Back to mine?'_ Ouch, Rae!" Rachel had swiftly reached across the table to slap Gar's arm for his crude attempt at a joke, giving him her famous death glare to boot. Kory would've laughed at them if she wasn't frozen in shock. Gar at least had the decency to look remorseful. "Sorry Kory, I just meant that... Well just that he must like you if he's not pulling his usual shit."

Despite his feeble attempt at assurance, Kory sat back in her seat, feeling an entirely new wave of distress wash over her.  _Sure,_ she had a hunch that he was well off, but  _this_. This was another level. But... Now that she thought of it, it made sense that he was in the elevator on her first day. And that she hadn't seen him at the office since then. And that no one afterwards knew who she was talking about because she had assumed he was another employee _._ Not the freaking  _CEO-to-be!_

Mumbling something about needing a shower, Kory slid out of her seat and beelined for her room. She could hear the couple arguing even once she had hidden behind her door.

"What the fuck, Garfield?"

"Sorry, I didn't know she didn't know! _Gah_ – I'm such a jackass."

"Ya think?"

Kory tuned them out the best she could, grabbing a towel and heading full tilt to the ensuite. She doubted the flimsy stream of the shower would silence the rushing waterfall that were her running thoughts, but it couldn't hurt.

Stepping under the water, she realized instantly that she was wrong; the scalding water did help. Immensely. The steam swirled and she breathed it in, willing it to loosen her tightly bound nerves and sore muscles.  _Breathe, Kory._

Amidst the now somewhat more calm chaos raging in her brain, Gars words floated back into the forefront , ' _He must like you if he's not pulling his usual shit_ '. Okay, that was reassuring. Maybe Richard didn't say anything the other night at the club because he wanted Kory to get to know the real him, sans the millionaire baggage. No doubt he had women crawling all over him constantly for his money alone; his devilishly good looks were just the icing on the cake. But now that Kory knew he was the heir to the Wayne throne, did that make her no better than everyone else who wanted a piece?

A loud crash resounding from the kitchen derailed her train of thought. Kory peeked her head outside the shower curtain to better hear what all the ruckus was about, but couldn't make heads or tails of the muffled shouts.  _Were Rachel and Garfield fighting?_ She hoped it wasn't because of her fleeing to the shower over what Gar had said. Turning off the water hastily, Kory stepped out and grabbed her towel, padding wet-footed across her room to press her ear against the door.

"Get. Out."

"Rachel, I don't understand –" Gars pleading was cut off.

"I said, GET OUT!" Kory's eyes widened, she had only heard Rachel voice sound like that a of couple times. Sure, she got angry a lot with Kory and her antics. But this was different from the frustrated yelling she was accustomed to. Rachel sounded utterly panicked.

Kory quickly whipped on a robe and pulled her hair up in the towel, exiting her room only a moment after the front door had slammed closed.

The air seemed to have been sucked out of the living room, a thick volatile substance taking its place. Rachel was standing near the island, back to the door, arms wound so tightly around herself that she could've molted into a cocoon. Her teacup lay shattered on the wooden floors, and Kory could see a small trickle of blood rolling down her thigh.

"Rachel, what happened?" she seemed unable to respond to Kory's question, merely shaking her head in a daze. Rachel looked even paler than usual, which was a feat in and of itself. Kory made a move to approach her, but Rachel flinched back, chest heaving irregularily. She managed to untangle an arm with great effort and leveled a finger towards the kitchen. Kory followed the trembling gesture to the newspaper laying flat on the table. Only after throwing her roommate a long concerned look did Kory slowly approach it. Emblazoned on the front page in big bold letters ( _how could she have not noticed it earlier?_ ):

> _**Cult Leader and Mass Murderer, Bartholomew 'Trigon' Roth, Escapes From Prison** _

* * *

"Hey, Kory."

God, why did his voice have to sound so deliciously raspy? Even his pleasantly surprised tone sounded like honey dripping down a comb on a hot summer's day. Kory didn't even want to get started on how her name sounded rolling off his tongue. Sweeter than honey. It made what she was about to say all the more difficult.

"Hi, sorry to call on such short notice, but..." Was all Kory could muster before her rehearsed script seemed to all but disappear from her mind. Her stomach was sinking down through the floorboards. The neighbors were probably getting rained on from it as she faltered for words. Dick seemed to pick up on her hesitancy even over the line.

"Is everything alright? I received some... concerning calls from Garfield this morning. I hope he didn't say anything too crass on my behalf. He does tend to put his foot in his mouth. And then his whole leg."

Kory managed a small laught at that, leaning her shoulder against the wall to gaze out of the window in the living room. The sun had begun its idle descent down the sky, illuminating the skyline into a glorious silhouette. Sunset hues bathed the whole room in a hazy glow. Kory wished the beauty of it all would somehow make this dreaded call easier. It didn't.

"No, although, he did drop the ball about your future inheritance of Wayne Enterprises."

She heard a bitter sigh before he continued "Oh, that. Yes. I'm sorry Kory, I was planning on telling you, I just –"

"No," she said, cutting him off gently. "It's fine, I can understand why you didn't. But that's not why I called. I –"

"You're cancelling, aren't you?" If he was disappointed, he was damn good at concealing it. His voice, no longer dripping like honey, was surprisingly neutral. Almost vacant.

It was Kory's turn to sigh. She slid down the wall into a dejected slouch, eyes squeezing shut. Here was what she'd been dreading. "Yes – I'm sorry, something urgent came up. Raincheck?"

"Absolutely," he said, without skipping a beat. Some emotion had returned to his tone, much to Kory's relief. "Is everything okay, though?"

"I'm okay, it's –" she hesitated, debating on how much to tell Richard about the current situation. Rachel had been very adamant about not telling Garfield, ignoring his constant calls and texts all day. Telling Richard that Rachel's murderous psychopath of a father had escaped from prison, sending her into a full fledged panic induced downward spiral would no doubt reach Gar through the grapevine in no time. Her dark haired friend in question had finally drifted into an exhausted sleep on the couch, surrounded by open boxes of takeout, a half empty bottle of whiskey and her emergency box of cigarettes scattered on the coffee table. "I'm needed for some serious moral support right now."

The line was quiet save for Richard's gentle breathing. Kory wondered if he thought she was lying, her excuse was vague at best.

"I understand," he said, finally. Kory released the breath she'd unbeknowingly been holding.

"Thank you." Kory sighed. The last streams of sunlight streamed in a vibrant rosy-peach, creating dancing shapes against the shadows on the wall. As she watched them, her words flowed out, uninhibited. "I'm sorry, again. I was really looking forward to tonight... I hope you didn't go to too much trouble for me."

"No such thing," His tone was teasing now, Kory could hear the smile tugging at his lips. It coaxed one out of her too. "But I am going to take you up on that raincheck. How does next weekend sound?"

"Sounds perfect." The giddiness from this morning had begun seeping back. Albeit muted in light of the days events.

"Perfect. I'll let you get back to your moral supporting then, I do hope everything turns out okay."

"Me too," Kory said, gaze once again falling on her dozing roommate curled up on the couch. "Bye, Richard."

"Goodbye, Kory."

* * *

It was an abnormally clear night, a handful of stars could be seen somehow shining through the smog of Gotham city. The air was crisp, but not unpleasant as it drifted up and around the two roommates sitting out on fire escape. The bottle of whiskey had followed them out.

Kory kept her eyes on the miraculously visible stars, reciting the constellations to herself. She'd always loved the sky, outer space, anything beyond the limits of this galaxy. It was a giant, rock-speckled pool of possibilities with millions of miles of space left untouched by human hands. Equally inspiring as it was humbling. But in the current moment, Kory wished the night sky would swallow her whole, and take Rachel with her for good measure.

Rachel took a long drag of her cigarette, and watched as the wind swept the smoke away before turning to consider her normally bubbly companion.

"You know, you didn't have to stay with me all night." she said, as Kory finally peeled her eyes from the sky to meet Rachel's gaze.

"Rachel, I told you –" Kory began, her voice sad.

"I know how excited you were to go out with Dick."

Red curls shifted against the brick exterior of their apartment building as Kory looked back out into the night, lips pursed in thought. Rachel took another drag, like it would help suffocate the guilt. And fear. And exhaustion.

"Yeah well, he made me wait, so now it's his turn." Kory said, resting her chin on her shoulder to look back at Rachel. Her smirk, however, was short lived. "You're more important, anyway. I'd never leave my best friend when she needs me."

Kory interlaced her hand with Rachel's vacant one, giving it a gentle squeeze. The latter watched, eyes beginning to swim with wetness, but it could've been a trick of the streetlight. Or the whiskey. Ashing her cigarette on the steel, Rachel scooted closer, setting her tired head on Kory's shoulder. Another squeeze passed through their entwined hands.

"What if he comes for me?"

Kory sucked in a surprise breath. They'd been skating around the question all day, of what would happen now that Rachel's father was on the loose, filling the gaps of silence with cheesy sitcoms and liquor. But the void was insatiable, and it seemed Rachel was no longer able to appease it.

"How would he be able to find you? You're under witness protection. You've changed your name, and number. We've moved states." she said, hoping she sounded more convincing than how she felt. Rachel always saw through her anyway.

"I don't know," Rachel's voice was almost a whisper, like she was far away and not sitting next to Kory anymore. "He always did. When I was younger. Even when I memorized every squeaky floorboard and tiptoed around them. He always knew, and would be waiting two steps ahead of me."

The once refreshing cold night air suddenly seemed difficult to breath, heavy like lead at the back of Kory's throat. It was always in this manner that she learned about Rachel's childhood; small snippets and memories that sent shivers up Kory's spine and left her stomach turning in disgust and anguish. She knew about Rachel's father's incarceration, but just the bare bones of it. Getting her to talk about it was like pulling teeth, not that Kory was inclined to have her relieve it in the first place.

Before Kory could overcome Rachel's disturbing remark and come up with a response, her dark haired friend sat up slowly and reached for the last of the whiskey.

"I think I need to go to bed," she said after wiping her mouth with her empty hand, squeezing Kory's with the other. "Thank you. For everything."

Kory pulled her into a tight embrace that lasted some time, Rachel visibly relaxing into it after a moment. Pulling away, Rachel crawled back through Kory's bedroom window, mumbling  _goodnight_ and their customary  _love you_ 's _._ The red head watched her make her way back through the apartment before falling back against the wall, returning her gaze up to the starry sky.

She was exhausted, physically and emotionally, but knew there was no way she'd be able to fall asleep just yet. All of today's events swam around her head; it felt so long ago that this morning she had been dancing around her room like a teenager over some (very attractive) man. The world felt much heavier now than it did in those glorious, fleeting moments

When her gaze drifted back down, there was a dark figure crouching on the stairwell above her.  _Where the fuck did he come from?_ Before a scream could even form in her throat, the figure moved across the small space in a silent flash, a hand forming a seal over her mouth.

"C'mon cutie, dontcha recognize me?" his voice was muffled, maybe even technologically altered, beneath a dark hood that covered his entire head. There was a glass-like material embedded into the fabric that covered his eyes, but even those were impenetrable. How he saw out of them was beyond Kory. His costume-like attire, however, was recognizable. Black spandex with intricate blue designs twisting around him, spreading out from a bird motif in the center of his chest.

Kory stared up at the strange man with wide eyes, but nodded slowly. It was the guy from two weekends ago, when she was almost mugged...  _So he was real? Not just a drunken hallucination?_

The fabric shifted around his face, like he was smiling underneath. Certain that she wouldn't make a scene, he removed his hand and stepped back before sinking down into a crouch again.

"I don't remember you wearing a hood," was the only sentence Kory seemed able to muster in her bewilderment state. She didn't think he would hurt her, he hadn't the other night when she was piss drunk, which would've been the perfect opportunity. But the rational side of her brain told her to never trust a man in spandex who snuck up on unsuspecting women in fire escapes.

The man let out a bark like laugh. "Perceptive one, aren't ya? Had to upgrade a bit, you'd be surprised at how advanced those facial recognition systems are nowadays."

Kory stared at him in disbelief. This man talked about concealing his identity like a regular person commented on the weather.  _Oh yes Susan, it does look like it might rain soon._

"Who the fuck are you?" Ah yes, there was the question she should've asked first.

The fabric around his mouth stretched again, and in the dim light from the street Kory could barely make out the outline of his teeth. He amicably extended the covered hand that had just been over her mouth.

"Call me Nightwing."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahoy, Plot Ho!
> 
> Sorry about the slight delay in posting, the weekend got the better of me. But I hope you enjoyed this next chapter! 
> 
> Always love to hear thoughts, suggestions, and even criticisms!
> 
> -M


	4. On the Precipice

For the rest of the following week, when her mind wasn't occupied worrying over Rachel, all Kory could think about was Nightwing.

Their interaction replayed over and over in her head, although it was slightly fuzzy due to all the whiskey she had drank with Rachel that day. Why was she always drunk when this dude decided to show (or not show, really) his face?

" _You can call me Nightwing"_

Nightwing.  _What kind of name was that?_ Sure, it sounded mysterious, but why not something simple of the 'Superman' variety?

" _O-kay,_ Nightwing _..."_ She remembered saying. " _Why exactly are you creeping around my fire escape?"_

" _I liked your spunk the other weekend, kickin' that muggers ass. Very hot I might add, you could give me a run for my money."_ She had been too stunned to groan at his lame attempt at flirting.

" _That doesn't answer my question."_

" _Ah, you caught me. I have a soft side, wanted to check up on ya."_ His covered head tilted as he had examined her underneath the sleek black fabric. " _And I couldn't help but overhearing your conversation just now –"_

She remembered bristling at that, rising onto her knees to jab an accusatory finger in his direction. " _You've been eavesdropping? What are you, stalking me?"_

" _Oh no, sweetheart."_ Kory had hissing at that, no longer amused with his little pet names. " _Well, eavesdropping, probably. It's part of the job, I'm afraid."_

" _You call spying on people in a spandex suit a job?"_ she spat.

" _Well it sure doesn't pay the bills,_ " He had chuckled despite her fiery tone, pushing Kory's tolerance right up to the edge. " _But I think my services might be useful in your friends situation._ "

That had not been what Kory expected him to say. She had stared flabbergasted at Nightwing, and he had taken her silence as a sign to elaborate.

" _I deal with criminals, under the radar of course. Stealth and surveillance, ya know? So if some dude is bothering your friend, then I could provide protection._ "

_Could he be? No – those stories are just urban legends; some superhero nerd's pipe dream,_ she remembered thinking as she had continued to stare at the dark figure silhouetted by the dim street lights.

" _Well I'm afraid I can't afford to pay some vigilante-wannabe by the hour._ "

It was his turn to bristle, as if she had offended him, bringing a dramatic hand to his chest. " _You wound me! I'm no wannabe, honey._ I'm  _the vigilante everyone wants to imitate. Nor would I stoop so low as to charge. It's my duty to protect the people of this city._ "

Kory wasn't sure what had possessed her to even consider his offer, let alone believe that he could be telling the truth. Again, she blamed the whiskey. Or maybe it was the way Nightwing had said,  _It's my duty to protect;_  his teasing tone had completely dissolved into a genuine tenacity. Even though she was skeptic, he obviously believed so wholeheartedly in what he was saying that it had forced the words out of her mouth before she could even stop to consider them.

" _He's not just some dude. Her father tried to ritualistically sacrifice her. His own daughter... and now he's escaped from federal prison."_

Even covered head to toe, Kory could tell that she had taken Nightwing by surprise. His body visibly lurched back and he seemed too stunned to even speak. She winced now,  remembering how brutal she had sounded. But the truth was a sick, bitter pill to swallow.

" _So if you could actually provide some sort of viable protection from a mass murderer, then, sure. That'd be great. But if you're just playing at hero, then you can get the fuck off my fire escape."_

Nightwing had considered her behind his glassy frames for what felt like an eternity; Kory would've given anything at that moment to be able to see the face beneath the hood, to gauge whatever expression had been brewing beneath. Then with a sudden vigor, he had shot up to his feet and was halfway over the railing of the stairwell before turning back to look at her.

" _I'll see what I can do. I'll be in touch."_ And with that, Nightwing had launched himself back down into the alleyway, the only sound was that of the rattling metal fire escape as he vaulted down. Kory had sprang up to the railing after him as fast as she could, but by the time she looked down, he had jumped onto an awaiting motorcycle around the corner and speed off into the night.

As she currently sat on the city bus on her way to work, Kory rehashed the conversation for the thousandth time. The whole exchange had left an uncomfortable knot in her stomach, one that hadn't untangled itself even during the course of the week. She hadn't heard a peep from Nightwing since, and she was starting to believe that it had just been a product of her overactive imagination. Although now that she had had two separate interactions with him, that explanation was beginning to lose traction.

Telling Rachel about her encounter was a no-go. Her friend was in a fragile enough state as it was, and even if she wasn't, there was no doubt that she'd do more than reprimand Kory for talking to strangers about her personal business. Especially ones that only came out at night.

A growl of a motorcycle engine jolted her out of her memory, and she swiveled around so fast in her seat that she almost gave herself whiplash. Pressing her face to the glass of the bus window to find the source, Kory was disappointed to see a large bearded man clad in a red bandana riding on an obnoxiously yellow motorcycle. Not a hooded man on a sleek black bike.

Kory turned back in her seat, feeling very childish for even thinking that Nightwing would wear his full garb out in broad daylight, and tried to ignore the wary stares of her fellow passengers. She dug around in her messenger bag, pulling out her headphones. Cranking up the volume, she prayed that the blasting music would drown out her incessant thoughts of the strange vigilante.

* * *

"Earth to Kory!"

"Huh?"

Only just realizing that her companion wasn't keeping pace with her anymore, Kory turned around to face her co worker who had stopped a couple paces behind her in the middle of the hallway. Her brows were furrowed above her catlike eyes, hands turning up in a questioning gesture.

"What's going on with you? You've been out of it all week, and you barely said one word during that meeting." Lucky moved her hands onto her hips and leveled Kory with an accusatory stare. Kory could practically see annoyance rolling off her in waves. "Even after I gave the best  damn pitch of my career!"

Kory shifted her laptop uncomfortably in her arms, feeling too guilty to meet Lucky's eyes, scanning the narrow hallway instead to make sure no one else filtering out of the conference room was listening to this impromptu intervention.

"I'm sorry, Lucky. I've just..." Kory started, fishing for the right response. Her mind seemed to be only existing on two planes at the moment, switching furiously between Rachel and Nightwing. But neither of them were really appropriate topics of discussion at the workplace. "A lot of things have been going on. I guess... I'm just distracted."

Lucky rolled her eyes at Kory's lame excuse, as if to say  _no shit,_  but starting walking alongside her again nevertheless. The floor had cleared of other employees by now, the only sound was the  _click-clack_  of their heels reverberating off the shiny marble floors.

Kory and the pink haired project manager had hit it off almost immediately after she began working at Wayne Enterprises. Kory found her candor and eccentricity refreshing in the swarm of grey business suits; but she liked it better when Lucky's keen skills of observation were put towards marketing strategy. Not her inner turmoil.

"Alright, is it some guy? Am I gonna have to kill him?" Lucky deadpanned. Kory also thoroughly enjoyed her dry sense of humor.

"Ha ha. No, it's nothing like that." Kory dismissed with a wave of her hand. A comfortable silence settled between them as they continued walking towards the elevator before a thought struck her. "You grew up in Gotham, right?"

"Born and raised!" said Lucky proudly before tilting her head. "Why?"

"Well," Kory began, holding her badge to the elevator scanner, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Since I've moved here, I've heard weird stories about some local superhero-vigilantes guys... Do you know anything about them?"

"Ugh, don't tell me you believe in that crap." Lucky groaned as they stepped into the empty elevator. Unsure of how to respond because  _yes_ , she knew for a fact that they were real, Kory innocently shrugged. Lucky rolled her eyes and leaned back into the elevator wall, the billowing black sleeves of her blouse rustling as she adjusted the strap of her bag. "Wally is like, borderline obsessed with them. He founded a fan club where him and a bunch of nerds sit around and look for clues every week. It's insane."

Kory's heart began fluttering with excitement. She had spent countless hours over the week, staying up until ungodly hours searching for any shred of information on Nightwing; combing through every last news article about recent crimes on the local newspaper's online archive. Nothing came up. Nada. Zip. Zilch. That's why she'd been so out of it; she was burning the candle on both ends trying to keep up with work and solve the mystery of Nightwing. A _nd_ not to mention, trying to be a one-woman support team for Rachel. So really, her candle was burning from all angles.

But a fan club. _W_ _hy hadn't she thought of that before?_  It could be the perfect opportunity to dig up some clues.

"Would you take me to one? A meeting?" Kory pleaded, despite the look of utter horror Lucky gave her in return.

"No, not you too! And here I thought you were cool." She groaned again, shaking her head as they finally exited the elevator. Kory put on her best pouting face, praying that it worked as well on Lucky as it did on Rachel. She threw in the lip quiver for good measure. Cat like features narrowed in on Kory before Lucky broke into a defeated sigh. "Okay, fine! But you owe me, big time!"

But the expression on Lucky's face as they rounded the corner into their office space cut Kory's oncoming thanks short. Kory followed her shocked gaze to where it landed on one of the most ostentatious sights she'd ever seen.

"Oh my god!" Lucky squealed.

" _Oh my god_ ," Kory echoed in shock.

Kory's modest cubicle had been filled, quite literally to the brim, with red roses. Vases upon vases of vibrant scarlet petals crowded every inch of her desk, some even overflowing up unto the shelves. The sight had drawn a small gathering on onlookers, chittering in excitement.

Lucky dashed ahead, her long ponytail swishing behind her, as Kory remained rooted to her spot. After struggling to scoop her jaw back up from the floor, Kory finally followed in suit. Lucky was digging through the flowers, and after a moment she pulled out a white envelope, addressed to Kory in a neat, sloping cursive. Kory had a hunch of who it was from.

"I thought you said there wasn't a guy!" Lucky accused playfully, eyes shining wide in excitement as she took in the red display.

Kory ignored her and tore into the letter.

> _I'm cashing in my raincheck._
> 
> _I hope you like French cuisine. I'll pick you up tonight at 7._
> 
> _Richard_

Where a smile should've been blooming across Kory's face, sat a frown deepening in shame. Her growing obsession with Nightwing had completely eclipsed her excitement for her upcoming date with Richard. In fact, their plans had totally escaped her mind. Guilt threatened to pool in her eyes she looked over the beautiful gift of flowers.

"Who's it from?" The sound of her co workers voice snapped Kory out of her thoughts, and she quickly tried to rearrange her features to meet Lucky's expectant gaze. The surrounding crowd made her suddenly hesitant to answer; what would everyone think of her going on a date with the son of their CEO? Were there anti-fraternization rules that she had skimmed over in the contract? Richard must not have cared if he was blasé enough to send all of these roses to her office.

Once again showing her knack for perception, Lucky whipped around to address the cluster of employees still hovering around like piranhas, eager to sink their teeth into any tidbit of gossip. "Don't you people have jobs to do?"

"Thanks." Kory mumbled, falling into her swivel chair after everyone had dispersed. Lucky climbed up onto her desk in front of the computer monitor, the only space that had thankfully been left empty.

"Now spill. Who's this mystery guy drowning you in roses?" Said Lucky, looking like she was going to burst from the suspense of it all. Feeling only slightly more at ease, Kory rolled in close and dropped her voice, just in case any nosy cubicle neighbors were listening.

"Richard Grayson." She whispered, some excitement usurping her guilt at the mention of his name, meeting Lucky's eyes in a wry smile.

"Holy. Shit."

* * *

"Is something wrong with your food?"

Being lost in her thoughts seemed to be Kory's new M.O. today. She looked up in surprise at Richard who was sitting across the table from her. He had been watching with gentle eyes as she picked at her salmon, turning the elegantly plated dish into a pile of pink fish chunks.

"Oh, yes," She said, face deepening in embarrassment as she quickly tried to damage control. God, first she forgot about the date and now she was zoning out during it.  _Pull yourself together, Kory!_ "Everything is absolutely wonderful!"

It was probably, no, definitely the most luxurious restaurant she had ever stepped foot into. The maître d', dressed in a pristine suit and a sophisticated french accent had brought them to their table, which sat next to a completely glass window that looked down into the city from the top floor of the building. The atmosphere was posh; a chandelier cast a dim glow from overhead as candles flickered at every table, another sharply dressed woman sat a grand piano in the far corner and graced the room with her gentle melodies. The tables, far and few, were spaced out, allowing couples to speak without fear of being overheard. Even Richard looked splendid in a smart dark blue blazer over a pinstriped button up. A small rose that Kory had taken from one of the vases sat in his breast pocket.

And here Kory was blowing it by thinking about that stupid man in the stupid black costume.

"I'm glad," Richard replied, but his smile still looked skeptical. "But you seem distracted, is something on your mind?"

There was the guilt creeping back again. His icy blue eyes examined her carefully, as if trying to catch every micro expression that she was repressing with difficulty. She fiddled with the pale silky strings of her wrap dress in a vain attempt to conceal her flood of emotions. She knew she should've taken a nap before coming out, but when she had gotten home from work Rachel seemed so torn up after a meeting with the police, that Kory couldn't  _not_  try and help assuage her anxiety. Now she was facing the consequences, feeling more emotional and scatterbrained that she had at work earlier.

"You're not the first person to say that today, actually." She admitted finally, fork unconsciously wandering back to pick at her plate. "I guess it's just everything going on with –"

"Rachel?" He supplied when her sentence hung in the air unfinished, as she realized in an attempt to cover her thoughts about Nightwing, she had almost revealed Rachel's situation.  _Damn it,_ she really should've napped.

"Ye –  _wait!_  How do you know about that?" Kory exclaimed, spiraling head first back into reality as she stared incredulously, and probably very un-lady like, at the man across the table. Her fork clattered loudly onto the plate.

"I don't know anything," He responded swiftly, leaning forward and speaking in a soothing voice in attempt to mollify her. Couples from nearby tables had turned to send a nasty glare Kory's way. "Garfield hasn't heard from her since the day you cancelled, so I just assumed the two might be related."

"Oh my god," It was unclear whether guilt or embarrassment were winning the fight in her gut as she hid behind her hands, too ashamed at her outburst to even look him in the eye. She resisted the strong urge to sprint into the bathroom and cry at her exhaustion fueled mood swings. Here Richard had kindly acclimated to her schedule, sent her a desk-full of roses, and taken her to a beautiful five-star restaurant and Kory was accusing him of – well, she wasn't even sure of what she was accusing him of! Floaters danced angrily behind her eyes as her fingers dug into her lids, and she could hear the ghost of her mothers voice chastising her for her abysmal behavior. "I am so sorry."

"Hey," His voice was as tender as his hands that delicately peeled hers off of her face, holding them gently across the table. "It's okay, Kory. Do you want to talk about it?"

Face and hair a matching set, Kory stared at Richard in amazement. How was he not looking at her like she was off her rocker? In fact, he was still holding her hands, rubbing soothing circles with his thumbs over her knuckles, patiently waiting for her to respond. Kory's heart swelled well beyond the constricting space of her ribcage.

"I – I can't, I'm sorry. It's not my place to tell Rachel's secrets..." She stared down at their clasped hands, the sight strengthening her resolve to get this date back on the right track. Taking a few calming breaths, she eventually met his eyes once more. God, he was so handsome. "Could we just start over? I promise to remain present from here on out."

"I would love that," And with that, Richard brought her hand up to his mouth, lips ghosting across her knuckles. His eyes deep as the ocean as they anchored onto hers. A hummingbird took the place of Kory's heart and the attraction she had felt towards him during every previous interaction came back full force, like she was short circuiting and all she could think of is where else she wanted those to lips to graze. Her breath audibly hitched.

Looking devilishly pleased with himself, Richard sat back in the plush chair, pulling Kory back into reality.  _Holy shit,_ so much for staying present. She had forgotten that they were even in a restaurant. She had forgotten her name.

"Why don't we finish up here. There's one more stop I have planned for tonight."

* * *

Pegasus twinkled mischievously down at her through the lense, through the angled prism and into the eyepiece of the larger than life telescope. Richard had whisked her off in his expensive car out into the countryside, refusing to reveal the surprise location until they pulled up to a large domed observatory. Owned by Wayne Enterprises, obviously.

Kory had to hand it to him, the man sure knew how to sweep a girl off her feet.

Pulling away from the lense, grinning like a child in a large astral candy store, Kory caught Richard unabashedly staring at her. He could've been blushing, but it was too dark in the equatorial room to be sure. She reached for his hand, pulling him forward to take a look through the telescope. He threaded their fingers together before bending down to see the stars that she had so carefully framed.

Even with one eye squinted shut, he looked modelesque; the dark waves of his hair were combed back and his jaw was sharp in the dim light. She could just barely make out a freckle by his ear. Not wanting to be gawking at him silently, Kory found herself rambling on about her favorite subject.

"That constellation there is Pegasus. Its brightest star, to the west there, is called Enif, which means muzzle in Arabic. You can see it's kind of orange because it's a supergiant star, so it's roughly twelve times bigger than –" Richard had pulled away from the lense and was now watching Kory as she blathered, a goofy grin pulling it's way across his mouth. She could feel her cheeks burning in response, feeling exceptionally warm under his unfaltering gaze. "Sorry, I'm totally geeking out, aren't I?"

He shook his head, still not taking his eyes off her, the motion incapable of shaking off the smile.

They were so close now that Kory could feel his breath fanning gently against her, the smell of his cologne intoxicating. Blood was pumping loudly in her ears, and through her slowly muddling thoughts she realized joyously that they were absolutely alone for the first time since their brief conversation on the elevator.

The way he was looking at her was, well...  _wow._ Like she was a star coming to greet a lonely astronaut in the vast emptiness of space. And Richard was in her orbit now, circling his arms around her as they crashed together in a fantastic supernova.

Later that night she replayed over and over the way his lips felt pressed against hers, feathering along her jaw, trailing down her neck. The way he had pressed her up against the wall in the hallway outside her apartment door, roaming hands desperately asking – no, pleading to come inside.

The look of pure desire in his darkened blue eyes as she told him _no_ was just barely worth the insatiable sensation now pooling between her legs. Finally stripped of her fancy dress, and laying alone (of her own volition, she had to remind herself), it seemed scratching the itch herself was becoming her only plausible option. But the sight of something attached to her window halted any alleviating activities.

What the hell was that?

Pulling on large t-shirt that just barely covered her exposed legs, Kory opened her window, crawling out onto the fire escape. It was a large manila envelope taped precariously to the glass. She spun on her heel, looking out into the darkness to search for whoever had left it. But there was no one, just the wind howling through the empty alleyway. A shiver ran up her spine that had nothing to do with the autumn chill.

Kory tugged the envelope off her window, and climbed back into her room, making sure to lock it and pull down the shades. The thought of someone creeping outside her window made her feel equally uncomfortable as it did remind her of the vigilante that she had actually been able to forget about for the last few hours. Once under the covers to warm the goosebumps covering her legs, Kory ripped open the envelope and held it under the light of her bedside lamp.

In plain black ink, typed and printed out as to remain untraceable, read:

 

> **IF YOU WANT MY HELP, MEET ME AT PIER #5. WEDNESDAY. 11PM.**
> 
> **-N**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally reached the end of my buffer chapters, so the next one might take a little bit longer. I'm trying to work through some writers block, ugh.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter! As always, I'd love to hear what you think! 
> 
> -M


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